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Better late than never.
Before starting the review, I'll preface this with: I haven't talked to any caps about their lines and showrates aren't factored in. This entire thread reflects my own (probably incorrect) biases about who is good, and who is less good. If you disagree, right after you call me an idiot please be sure to correct me!
Blast
Terr - wbm (9)
Sharks - turban (10), liz (8)
Spids - cripple (10), omega red (8.5), zeebu (8), Spectacular (7.5), RaCka (7)
alts: turban (shark or terr), omega red (shark), wbm (spid), lifter (7.5), Crazy Canockout (7)/AFRI (7)
Blast's line looks strong and balanced. They will not have to rely on low stars besides the man himself, and have decent flexing around options should someone have to miss, or they suck that day.
WBM has proven himself adept at TWBD terring, and could prove himself terrier master as well.
Turban, a clear top-tier shark, leads liz into battle. Liz is a great value at 8, definitely carryable, though I expect much more from him.
In the pew-pew ship, cripple looks to continue to dominate the draft tourny, flanked by Omega Red (a solid value), zeebu (great at 8), Spectacular and RaCka. Blast's spider line suffers from high stars in terrier and shark, and has to make use of some below average spider talent. Still, the story of blast will be the cripple story, and how well his teammates can fill the gaps.
Morph
Terr - Kings (8)
Sharks - a2m (9.5), Major Crisis (8)
Spids - Saiyan (10), Ro (10), Dutch Baser (8), Anonym(7.5), Kov (7)
alts: dabram or MC terr, whinegum (7.5), warrior (7)/rojo (7)
Team Morph looks to make a splash with a strong spider line. A weaker terr choice will make or break this team. Still, they have multiple options in every ship, something not true for every lineup this season.
Kings regressed last season on Blast after his promotion to 8. Still, Kings looks like one of the best value picks in any ship, especially one as necessary as terrier. With a strong team keeping the pressure off, he could thrive again.
a2m has looked very strong since his return. The bigger question in ship 8 is his partner, Major Crisis. MC can be a valuable 3 ship option, but as he feels he is overrate in all 3, I'm not sure this is the best spot for him. Still, not many other options. Bram?
For spider, Morph looks dominant. Saiyan and Ro are some of the zones best. Dutch Baser and Anonym fill in nicely at a lower rating and any of their 7*s can cap it off. In a division won on the spider line, Saiyan drafted expertly.
Power
Terr - RageRitual (8.5)
Sharks - Zidane (10), mvp (8)
Spids - Aagi (9), vys (8.5), poseidon (8.5), Henry Saari (8), banzi (7.5)
alts: RageRitual (shark), mvp (spid), vys (terr????), hellzno! (7.5), Mongrel (6.5)
Zidane's squad lacks any 10 talent besides himself. Still, stacking high 8s leaves this team with fewer relative weak spots. One thing I really like about their line is the multi-ship options. Rage could play whatever, mvp can flex to spider, and poseidon thinks he can shark.
RageRitual, a TWDT multishipper, finds himself anchoring zids squad again. I'm glad to see him in red ship after being tragically under utilized there this past TWLB.
Zid, the GOAT, one of the winningest captains of all time brings championship experience to this team. Any team with zidane is a threat; his partner, mvp, won it last season as part of a low shark duo. This accomplished duo, while expensive, will be dangerous.
Power's spiders, while not unimpressive, raise some question marks. Aagi looks good at 9 for under, but the rest of the line is harder to predict. Vys is a wb, but has some talent in spid. Poseidon is useful, but temperamental. Banzi is their (relative) lowstar. All could be decent values, but all are unproven. Henry will bring the smores.
Hottub Homeboys
Terr - Zizu (9.5)
Sharks - Paradise (8.5), Zapata (7.5)
Spids - Stayon (10), Renzi (9.5), Creature (8.5), Iron Survivor (7.5), Mercede$ (7)
alts: Stayon (terr), Creature (shark), Vehicle (7.5 terr, shark), Dare (6.5)
Renzi's team has my second favorite team-name, but is missing a few pieces after that.
Zizu could be an excellent choice in terr. While expensive, he's elite, and there are relatively few elite terrs in this draft.
Paradise is my boy, but this is my least favorite shark combo in the league. At only 16 stars, they allow for some room in other ships, but Zizu's 9.5 basically eats the net star discount. Still, in a spider dominated league choosing cheaper sharks has paid off before.
I like Hottub's spider line quite a bit, for a TWDT line. It's well balanced, with several elite players (Stayon, Renzi), good pushing value (Creature, Mercede$) and Iron is capable at under for a low price. They should fair well against other lines, particularly anyone stuck fielding low star non-basers.
Thunder
Terr - Ogron (10)
Sharks - Dwopple (9.5), Cig Smoke (8)
Spids - Ease (10), kess (9.5), Geio (7.5), Unlimited (7.5), Unabled (6)
alts: morph (8.5 terr, shark), Dak (7), Dad (6.5), Snoopie (6)
Ease has drafted himself one of the most interesting lines I've seen. Taking Ogron in the first round makes sense, because of the value he (like Ease) can provide in all three leagues. In base, however, they make an expensive duo, something not remedied by his next several picks.
Not much to say about Ogron. See his signature if you're looking for more info. Thanks oggie for making the team sheets, it was very helpful in starting this review.
DicE sharks Dwopple and Cig Smoke look to make a triumphant return to the zones basing leagues. Dwopple has proven himself un-rusted in the last few seasons, but Cig is looking shakier in the few BDs I've seen with him. BDs can't tell the whole story of course, and with the veteran core around him, I foresee Cig catching up and exceeding his 8 stars.
Thunder's spiders, like many in the league, suffer from expensive terrier/shark combo. Ease hopes to make this up with some strategic low star picks. Ease and kess will be the backbone of this team- they don't really have other high star options in green. Still, Ease drafted low stars well- Geio should perform alright (given a capable team), Unlimited is underrated at 7.5, and Unabled, filling in at 6 stars, should exceed that value. Perhaps the best part of Ease's spider draft is the sheer number of options he has. Dak and Dad could easily switch in for Geio and Unabled, and should hold their own at only 13.5 stars.
Kobe
Terr - Pressure (10)
Sharks - Cape (9.5), Joeses (9)
Spids - Jurassic (9), Lupin (8.5), Siaxis (7.5), Ekko (7.5), Scurvy (7)
alts: Cape (terr, spider), Best (8.5), Tripin (8), Dunkin (7)
Best has drafted base well, for a non-baser. Credits to anyone who helped out.
Pressure is a top terrier, one of my favorites to play with. 10 stars is a lot for a terrier, but in the fifth round that's a no-brainer pick.
Cape and Joe both bring immense experience in shark. Cape, hot off a TWLB championship, looks to continue to dominate in his 3rd(?) basing ship. Joe has seen plenty of success in TWDTB recently- most notable a victory in Fall 2019 with a similar high cost terr/shark trio. These two could be oppressive against teams without strong sharks themselves or lackluster pushing spiders.
Like Ease, Best picked his low star spiders well to compliment his higher stars. The worrying part is that only Jurassic sits above the league-average 8.5* rating. This could be dangerous, as a dominant spider line generally leads to a dominant team. Still, his choices below the 8.5 line were strong- Lupin is strong in spider and fills in great with any team, Siaxis should be able to equal his 7.5 rating, Ekko is underrated, and Scurvy has been a staple in TWDTB for his competence at a low cost.
Paddington II
Terr - Zizzo (9)
Sharks - TPZ (8.5), Beam (7.5)
Spids - Skatarius (10), Ra (9), TJ Hazuki (9), Ardour (7.5), Star Fox (7.5)
alts: TPZ (spid), Dyers Eve (7.5), Tiny (7)
Tiny's team will likely look very different by week 2, but I'll try to analyze this as it is.
Zizzo is a strong pick in terrier. He's seen success in the league several times across the last few years and at 9 stars he doesn't break the bank.
Tied with Paradise/Zapata for the lowest star combo, TPZ and beam will try to hold their own against some of the zone's best. If they can get their reps off in front of spiders, avoid DOAs, and hold a cram they could prove the best bargain in the league.
Paddington's spiders are where the team really shines. Skat, Ra, and TJ are a TWLB trio and will be smacking around weaker spiders and sharks where they find a mismatch. Ardour in under is a great, cheap pick and Star Fox or Dyers Eve can pitch in over or under.
Powirfil Fingirmin
Terr - Frozen Throne (9)
Sharks - animeboy12 (9), Violence (8)
Spids - sarger (10), Bacon (9), brethal (8), clefairy27 (8), Flew (7)
alts: clefairy27 (shark), Roiwerk (7), Props (7)
Veteran captain viop has drafted a few of his favorites- and some new picks- for his newest TWDTB contender.
Viop PMed me later in the draft (but before I got drafted??) asking for terrier recommendations. I listed several names, but he settled on Frozen Throne, which is honestly a pick I like. Frozen has been getting his reps in lately, and should prove a solid value to the Powirfil Fingirmin.
For shark, Viop picked reigning TWDTB champion animeboy12 as his partner. Sprackle has seen success in each of the last few seasons- reflected by his quick increase in rating. These two still should be a solid pair, and come cheaper than average for sharks this season.
Here's where we see more of Violence's favorite teammates: Sarger is one of the best spiders in the zone, Bacon is a smart pusher, and Flew is ... idk kinda ok at 7 stars. Brethal hasn't been able to shine lately due to weaker lines, but should outperform his 8 and clefairy27 is a nice, low star option in any ship.
Funk
Terr - Heaven (9)
Sharks - Commodo (10), Mean Gene (8.5)
Spids - Lockdown (9.5), Mouse (9.5), RUCCI (8.5), Lee (7), Four pLai (6)
alts: Rough (9.5), Sleazy (8.5), Jack (8.5)
Commodo has the most depth at high star in the league, with more players at or above the 8.5 rating than several other teams combined. Excellent low star pickups will allow Funk to make the most of their depth a prove a dangerous team.
Heaven is one of the better TWDTB value terriers, with a win last TWDT and a semifinals berth last TWL. At 9 stars, he's about average for cost but has seen more success than some of the other options.
Commodo is a top tier shark and TWDTB champion within the last few seasons. Mean Gene is a good option at shark, and Sleazy can fill in as needed. 18.5 stars is the most expensive duo for this league and they will have to perform to that level to justify the cost.
Funk's spiders are just nasty. 2 out of Mouse, Rough, and Lockdown at 9.5; Rucci or Jack at 8.5, and Lee and Four pLai fill out the 68. The presence of Lee and Four pLai is critical though, as Funk has no other options at 7, and the other 6s aren't super confidence inspiring.
Terrorist
Terr - warportal (7.5)
Sharks - Markmrw (9), WillBy (9)
Spids - Dreamwin (10), maketso (8.5), kado (8.5), Banks (8.5), bike (7)
alts: Dreamwin (terr), Banks (terr), rasaq (8), PureOwnage (7.5)
This is my own team, so the bias really comes through. I like Dreamwins drafts quite a bit. The big question mark is at the center of the team, warportal.
If warportal can perform like Ogron's 10th best terrier of all time, this team will be straight busted. Even if the rust shows, a decent appearance from warportal means this team can unlock one of the stronger spider lines top to bottom in the league.
The Mark/WillBy sharkner pair could be one of the most dangerous in the league. Both sides have been active and successful in the last several leagues, but perhaps more importantly have actually played together before. In a shorter league, there's less time to figure things out and the non-verbal (and sometimes actually verbal) communication can make the difference.
The Terrorist spider line benefits the most from the 7.5 terrier. Getting to start 4 players at or above the average minimizes weak points in the league-defining ship. Dreamwin is a stud and will do anything (but not cheat.....) to win his team the game. Maketso, kado, and Banks all look like great values at 8.5 and bike will fill out the fifth slot. The flex options continue from there- dreamwin will terrier if he has to, but maketso and Banks can also fill in. Subbing out warportal requires subbing in PureOwnage, which isn't optimal but is workable.
This season will be interesting, with smaller rosters and only playing each team once, attendance will be mandatory for most starters. Subs, particularly in terrier and shark, are in short supply, forcing several players out of their main ships. Still, the talent level has never been higher. Thanks to the ops/captains for putting in the work on the draft, and good luck to everyone who isn't playing against me.
Week 1 predictions:
Season Record 0-0
Kobe vs Piwirfil Fingirmin
Kobe has the terr/shark advantage, but PF has the spider advantage.
Kobe 9 - 15 PF
Terrorist vs Funk
Warportal gets his feet wet, remembers how to swim. Rough shows, already exceeding his 10% showrate.
Terrorist 15 - 12 Funk
Hottub Homeboys vs Morph
Morph's sharks, spiders control.
Hottub Homeboys 7 - 15 Morph
Thunder vs Paddington II
Similar lineups, Thunder down early but Ogron outperforms as Cig shows how he plays when not distracted.
Thunder 15 - 10 Paddington II
Power vs Blast
Blast doesn't play the team I predicted, but still clutches this out.
Power 12 - 15 Blast
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Kobe vs Blast
Kobe fair better, but crashes in the fog/dust as Blast takes off.
Kobe 13 - 15 Blast
Paddington II vs Power
Both teams are greedy to get a win, but Zidane wants it more. Paddington can't caves under pressure.
Paddington 8 - 15 Power
Morph vs Thunder
Team Morph is a little more complete week 1. First <10 second win of the season.
Morph 14 - 15 Thunder
Funk vs Hottub Homeboys
Commodo and Mouse abuse weaker shark line, Hottub can't string together a cram. Pieces together minutes during flagroom battles.
Funk 15 - 5 Hottub Homeboys
Piwirfil Fingirmin vs Terrorist
PF sharks can't perform at the level they want. Warportal looks a little shaky. Terrorist is on the uphill climb part of the roller coaster, dreading a looming, steep descent.
PF 10 - 15 Terrorist
Before starting the review, I'll preface this with: I haven't talked to any caps about their lines and showrates aren't factored in. This entire thread reflects my own (probably incorrect) biases about who is good, and who is less good. If you disagree, right after you call me an idiot please be sure to correct me!
Blast
Terr - wbm (9)
Sharks - turban (10), liz (8)
Spids - cripple (10), omega red (8.5), zeebu (8), Spectacular (7.5), RaCka (7)
alts: turban (shark or terr), omega red (shark), wbm (spid), lifter (7.5), Crazy Canockout (7)/AFRI (7)
Blast's line looks strong and balanced. They will not have to rely on low stars besides the man himself, and have decent flexing around options should someone have to miss, or they suck that day.
WBM has proven himself adept at TWBD terring, and could prove himself terrier master as well.
Turban, a clear top-tier shark, leads liz into battle. Liz is a great value at 8, definitely carryable, though I expect much more from him.
In the pew-pew ship, cripple looks to continue to dominate the draft tourny, flanked by Omega Red (a solid value), zeebu (great at 8), Spectacular and RaCka. Blast's spider line suffers from high stars in terrier and shark, and has to make use of some below average spider talent. Still, the story of blast will be the cripple story, and how well his teammates can fill the gaps.
Morph
Terr - Kings (8)
Sharks - a2m (9.5), Major Crisis (8)
Spids - Saiyan (10), Ro (10), Dutch Baser (8), Anonym(7.5), Kov (7)
alts: dabram or MC terr, whinegum (7.5), warrior (7)/rojo (7)
Team Morph looks to make a splash with a strong spider line. A weaker terr choice will make or break this team. Still, they have multiple options in every ship, something not true for every lineup this season.
Kings regressed last season on Blast after his promotion to 8. Still, Kings looks like one of the best value picks in any ship, especially one as necessary as terrier. With a strong team keeping the pressure off, he could thrive again.
a2m has looked very strong since his return. The bigger question in ship 8 is his partner, Major Crisis. MC can be a valuable 3 ship option, but as he feels he is overrate in all 3, I'm not sure this is the best spot for him. Still, not many other options. Bram?
For spider, Morph looks dominant. Saiyan and Ro are some of the zones best. Dutch Baser and Anonym fill in nicely at a lower rating and any of their 7*s can cap it off. In a division won on the spider line, Saiyan drafted expertly.
Power
Terr - RageRitual (8.5)
Sharks - Zidane (10), mvp (8)
Spids - Aagi (9), vys (8.5), poseidon (8.5), Henry Saari (8), banzi (7.5)
alts: RageRitual (shark), mvp (spid), vys (terr????), hellzno! (7.5), Mongrel (6.5)
Zidane's squad lacks any 10 talent besides himself. Still, stacking high 8s leaves this team with fewer relative weak spots. One thing I really like about their line is the multi-ship options. Rage could play whatever, mvp can flex to spider, and poseidon thinks he can shark.
RageRitual, a TWDT multishipper, finds himself anchoring zids squad again. I'm glad to see him in red ship after being tragically under utilized there this past TWLB.
Zid, the GOAT, one of the winningest captains of all time brings championship experience to this team. Any team with zidane is a threat; his partner, mvp, won it last season as part of a low shark duo. This accomplished duo, while expensive, will be dangerous.
Power's spiders, while not unimpressive, raise some question marks. Aagi looks good at 9 for under, but the rest of the line is harder to predict. Vys is a wb, but has some talent in spid. Poseidon is useful, but temperamental. Banzi is their (relative) lowstar. All could be decent values, but all are unproven. Henry will bring the smores.
Hottub Homeboys
Terr - Zizu (9.5)
Sharks - Paradise (8.5), Zapata (7.5)
Spids - Stayon (10), Renzi (9.5), Creature (8.5), Iron Survivor (7.5), Mercede$ (7)
alts: Stayon (terr), Creature (shark), Vehicle (7.5 terr, shark), Dare (6.5)
Renzi's team has my second favorite team-name, but is missing a few pieces after that.
Zizu could be an excellent choice in terr. While expensive, he's elite, and there are relatively few elite terrs in this draft.
Paradise is my boy, but this is my least favorite shark combo in the league. At only 16 stars, they allow for some room in other ships, but Zizu's 9.5 basically eats the net star discount. Still, in a spider dominated league choosing cheaper sharks has paid off before.
I like Hottub's spider line quite a bit, for a TWDT line. It's well balanced, with several elite players (Stayon, Renzi), good pushing value (Creature, Mercede$) and Iron is capable at under for a low price. They should fair well against other lines, particularly anyone stuck fielding low star non-basers.
Thunder
Terr - Ogron (10)
Sharks - Dwopple (9.5), Cig Smoke (8)
Spids - Ease (10), kess (9.5), Geio (7.5), Unlimited (7.5), Unabled (6)
alts: morph (8.5 terr, shark), Dak (7), Dad (6.5), Snoopie (6)
Ease has drafted himself one of the most interesting lines I've seen. Taking Ogron in the first round makes sense, because of the value he (like Ease) can provide in all three leagues. In base, however, they make an expensive duo, something not remedied by his next several picks.
Not much to say about Ogron. See his signature if you're looking for more info. Thanks oggie for making the team sheets, it was very helpful in starting this review.
DicE sharks Dwopple and Cig Smoke look to make a triumphant return to the zones basing leagues. Dwopple has proven himself un-rusted in the last few seasons, but Cig is looking shakier in the few BDs I've seen with him. BDs can't tell the whole story of course, and with the veteran core around him, I foresee Cig catching up and exceeding his 8 stars.
Thunder's spiders, like many in the league, suffer from expensive terrier/shark combo. Ease hopes to make this up with some strategic low star picks. Ease and kess will be the backbone of this team- they don't really have other high star options in green. Still, Ease drafted low stars well- Geio should perform alright (given a capable team), Unlimited is underrated at 7.5, and Unabled, filling in at 6 stars, should exceed that value. Perhaps the best part of Ease's spider draft is the sheer number of options he has. Dak and Dad could easily switch in for Geio and Unabled, and should hold their own at only 13.5 stars.
Kobe
Terr - Pressure (10)
Sharks - Cape (9.5), Joeses (9)
Spids - Jurassic (9), Lupin (8.5), Siaxis (7.5), Ekko (7.5), Scurvy (7)
alts: Cape (terr, spider), Best (8.5), Tripin (8), Dunkin (7)
Best has drafted base well, for a non-baser. Credits to anyone who helped out.
Pressure is a top terrier, one of my favorites to play with. 10 stars is a lot for a terrier, but in the fifth round that's a no-brainer pick.
Cape and Joe both bring immense experience in shark. Cape, hot off a TWLB championship, looks to continue to dominate in his 3rd(?) basing ship. Joe has seen plenty of success in TWDTB recently- most notable a victory in Fall 2019 with a similar high cost terr/shark trio. These two could be oppressive against teams without strong sharks themselves or lackluster pushing spiders.
Like Ease, Best picked his low star spiders well to compliment his higher stars. The worrying part is that only Jurassic sits above the league-average 8.5* rating. This could be dangerous, as a dominant spider line generally leads to a dominant team. Still, his choices below the 8.5 line were strong- Lupin is strong in spider and fills in great with any team, Siaxis should be able to equal his 7.5 rating, Ekko is underrated, and Scurvy has been a staple in TWDTB for his competence at a low cost.
Paddington II
Terr - Zizzo (9)
Sharks - TPZ (8.5), Beam (7.5)
Spids - Skatarius (10), Ra (9), TJ Hazuki (9), Ardour (7.5), Star Fox (7.5)
alts: TPZ (spid), Dyers Eve (7.5), Tiny (7)
Tiny's team will likely look very different by week 2, but I'll try to analyze this as it is.
Zizzo is a strong pick in terrier. He's seen success in the league several times across the last few years and at 9 stars he doesn't break the bank.
Tied with Paradise/Zapata for the lowest star combo, TPZ and beam will try to hold their own against some of the zone's best. If they can get their reps off in front of spiders, avoid DOAs, and hold a cram they could prove the best bargain in the league.
Paddington's spiders are where the team really shines. Skat, Ra, and TJ are a TWLB trio and will be smacking around weaker spiders and sharks where they find a mismatch. Ardour in under is a great, cheap pick and Star Fox or Dyers Eve can pitch in over or under.
Powirfil Fingirmin
Terr - Frozen Throne (9)
Sharks - animeboy12 (9), Violence (8)
Spids - sarger (10), Bacon (9), brethal (8), clefairy27 (8), Flew (7)
alts: clefairy27 (shark), Roiwerk (7), Props (7)
Veteran captain viop has drafted a few of his favorites- and some new picks- for his newest TWDTB contender.
Viop PMed me later in the draft (but before I got drafted??) asking for terrier recommendations. I listed several names, but he settled on Frozen Throne, which is honestly a pick I like. Frozen has been getting his reps in lately, and should prove a solid value to the Powirfil Fingirmin.
For shark, Viop picked reigning TWDTB champion animeboy12 as his partner. Sprackle has seen success in each of the last few seasons- reflected by his quick increase in rating. These two still should be a solid pair, and come cheaper than average for sharks this season.
Here's where we see more of Violence's favorite teammates: Sarger is one of the best spiders in the zone, Bacon is a smart pusher, and Flew is ... idk kinda ok at 7 stars. Brethal hasn't been able to shine lately due to weaker lines, but should outperform his 8 and clefairy27 is a nice, low star option in any ship.
Funk
Terr - Heaven (9)
Sharks - Commodo (10), Mean Gene (8.5)
Spids - Lockdown (9.5), Mouse (9.5), RUCCI (8.5), Lee (7), Four pLai (6)
alts: Rough (9.5), Sleazy (8.5), Jack (8.5)
Commodo has the most depth at high star in the league, with more players at or above the 8.5 rating than several other teams combined. Excellent low star pickups will allow Funk to make the most of their depth a prove a dangerous team.
Heaven is one of the better TWDTB value terriers, with a win last TWDT and a semifinals berth last TWL. At 9 stars, he's about average for cost but has seen more success than some of the other options.
Commodo is a top tier shark and TWDTB champion within the last few seasons. Mean Gene is a good option at shark, and Sleazy can fill in as needed. 18.5 stars is the most expensive duo for this league and they will have to perform to that level to justify the cost.
Funk's spiders are just nasty. 2 out of Mouse, Rough, and Lockdown at 9.5; Rucci or Jack at 8.5, and Lee and Four pLai fill out the 68. The presence of Lee and Four pLai is critical though, as Funk has no other options at 7, and the other 6s aren't super confidence inspiring.
Terrorist
Terr - warportal (7.5)
Sharks - Markmrw (9), WillBy (9)
Spids - Dreamwin (10), maketso (8.5), kado (8.5), Banks (8.5), bike (7)
alts: Dreamwin (terr), Banks (terr), rasaq (8), PureOwnage (7.5)
This is my own team, so the bias really comes through. I like Dreamwins drafts quite a bit. The big question mark is at the center of the team, warportal.
If warportal can perform like Ogron's 10th best terrier of all time, this team will be straight busted. Even if the rust shows, a decent appearance from warportal means this team can unlock one of the stronger spider lines top to bottom in the league.
The Mark/WillBy sharkner pair could be one of the most dangerous in the league. Both sides have been active and successful in the last several leagues, but perhaps more importantly have actually played together before. In a shorter league, there's less time to figure things out and the non-verbal (and sometimes actually verbal) communication can make the difference.
The Terrorist spider line benefits the most from the 7.5 terrier. Getting to start 4 players at or above the average minimizes weak points in the league-defining ship. Dreamwin is a stud and will do anything (but not cheat.....) to win his team the game. Maketso, kado, and Banks all look like great values at 8.5 and bike will fill out the fifth slot. The flex options continue from there- dreamwin will terrier if he has to, but maketso and Banks can also fill in. Subbing out warportal requires subbing in PureOwnage, which isn't optimal but is workable.
This season will be interesting, with smaller rosters and only playing each team once, attendance will be mandatory for most starters. Subs, particularly in terrier and shark, are in short supply, forcing several players out of their main ships. Still, the talent level has never been higher. Thanks to the ops/captains for putting in the work on the draft, and good luck to everyone who isn't playing against me.
Week 1 predictions:
Season Record 0-0
Kobe vs Piwirfil Fingirmin
Kobe has the terr/shark advantage, but PF has the spider advantage.
Kobe 9 - 15 PF
Terrorist vs Funk
Warportal gets his feet wet, remembers how to swim. Rough shows, already exceeding his 10% showrate.
Terrorist 15 - 12 Funk
Hottub Homeboys vs Morph
Morph's sharks, spiders control.
Hottub Homeboys 7 - 15 Morph
Thunder vs Paddington II
Similar lineups, Thunder down early but Ogron outperforms as Cig shows how he plays when not distracted.
Thunder 15 - 10 Paddington II
Power vs Blast
Blast doesn't play the team I predicted, but still clutches this out.
Power 12 - 15 Blast
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Kobe vs Blast
Kobe fair better, but crashes in the fog/dust as Blast takes off.
Kobe 13 - 15 Blast
Paddington II vs Power
Both teams are greedy to get a win, but Zidane wants it more. Paddington can't caves under pressure.
Paddington 8 - 15 Power
Morph vs Thunder
Team Morph is a little more complete week 1. First <10 second win of the season.
Morph 14 - 15 Thunder
Funk vs Hottub Homeboys
Commodo and Mouse abuse weaker shark line, Hottub can't string together a cram. Pieces together minutes during flagroom battles.
Funk 15 - 5 Hottub Homeboys
Piwirfil Fingirmin vs Terrorist
PF sharks can't perform at the level they want. Warportal looks a little shaky. Terrorist is on the uphill climb part of the roller coaster, dreading a looming, steep descent.
PF 10 - 15 Terrorist
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